


Home is Where the Force Is

by fiona_cat2004



Series: Family Is More Than Blood [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:07:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiona_cat2004/pseuds/fiona_cat2004
Summary: Rey knows she can’t stay on Yavin IV forever, but where does she go from here?**Includes characters from my other series, “Finding His Way,” and refers to incidents in the first story in that series.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Original Female Character, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Family Is More Than Blood [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656739
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Rey Skywalker walked through the jungle of Yavin IV, her eyes closed but her footsteps sure. She’d been on the moon for the better part of a year, ostensibly to help Poe and Finn Dameron with their children while Poe’s father, Kes, recovered from a broken hip. But Kes had been up and about for months, back to his regular routine at the Dameron ranch, while Poe and Finn had the kids well in hand. 

For a time, she’d told herself she was staying to keep tabs on young Ben Dameron, who showed signs of being Force-sensitive like his father, Finn, but since the child’s talents seemed to be limited to empathy and a unique ability to see and speak to Force ghosts, there wasn’t much in the way of training to be done. Then she’d almost convinced herself she was monitoring the progress of Ad’ika Djarin, the tiny eighty-year old child of unknown species whose Force powers rivaled her own. But again, Ad’ika was still too young (by his species standards) for proper Jedi training, and anyway, Rey hadn’t even worked out what proper training would be yet. And so she walked through the jungle, knowing exactly where her feet would lead her but refusing to accept it.

“You’re so predictable.”

She opened her eyes to find herself under the Force Tree on Kes’s property. Leaning against the trunk, a lopsided smile on his face, was the Force ghost of Ben Solo.

“No, I’m not,” Rey retorted. “Yesterday it was evening when I came. It’s barely past noon.” She stepped under the shade of the Tree, feeling the slight tingle of Force energy on her skin as the Tree welcomed her. 

Ben laughed. “All right then, you’re _slightly_ predictable,” he said. “But you know time isn’t quite the same on my side of things.” 

Rey dropped her eyes, unable to meet Ben’s gaze. She was still struggling to understand her connection to the Force and the rules (if there were any) that applied to the Jedi who had lived before her. “I know,” she said quietly. “Am I being annoying?”

Again Ben laughed. “No, of course not,” he said. “I enjoy seeing you. I enjoy our conversations, even when you have questions I have no answers to.”

Now Rey looked up. She did have a tendency to bombard Ben with questions about the Force. Luke, or one of the older Jedi, would be more likely to have answers for her, but they wouldn’t always appear when she needed them. Ben always showed up.

“Sorry,” Rey said with a rueful smile. “But you’re the only one who’ll talk to me on a regular basis.”

Ben sat down against the trunk of the Tree and patted the ground beside him. Rey lowered herself into a meditation position, her hands resting lightly on her knees. “That’s because they see you as a student, and they only show up when you need some guidance, when you’re stuck or in danger of taking the wrong path,” Ben said. He bumped her shoulder with his own. “I just come because I like you.”

Rey felt her cheeks burning. She knew she was a pest, but sometimes she felt like nothing was right in the world unless Ben was beside her. Their connection puzzled her; was it simply their bond as a dyad in the Force, or was it something else, something more mundane but also more wonderful?

“Thank you,” she said when she’d composed herself. “For listening to me. It’s just … sometimes I need to talk things out, and Finn understands a little bit, but you --” She turned to look at him, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke his hair. She ached to touch him but even here under the Force Tree, he wasn’t corporeal enough to satisfy her senses. There was a subtle but immense difference between hugging Ben and hugging Finn, for instance. When she hugged her friend, she felt the warmth of his body, the pulse of his heartbeat, the texture of the fabric on his shirt, the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. When she hugged Ben, it was pressure, and a sense of the Force coursing through him, but that was all.

“I understand,” Ben said, breaking Rey out of her reverie. “But Mother and Uncle Luke think you need to start relying on yourself and your intuition, not me.” 

Rey closed her eyes. She’d had this conversation with Luke several times. “I need to get my butt off Yavin and get back to work,” she said bitterly. “I know that, but …”

“You’re getting too attached,” Ben said softly. “I always hated that part of the Jedi creed. ‘No attachments.’” He shook his head. “Bantha shit, as my dad would say. You can’t do any good in the world without something to do good _for_.” He picked up her hand. “You have family, and friends, and your love for them is the base from which you develop a love and reverence for the rest of the galaxy.” He squeezed her hand. “I lost out on a lot of that. Mother and Dad were always busy saving the galaxy or making money, Uncle Luke was trying not to give me preferential treatment. I had family but I didn’t learn to love them until it was too late.” He took Rey’s chin with his other hand and turned her face so she was looking at him. “You never had a family, until you _made_ one. You did it the right way around.”

“But I still need to leave them behind,” Rey said sadly. “I have to forge my own path, fulfill my destiny.”

Ben shook his head. “There’s no such thing as destiny,” he said. “You make your own decisions, you choose your own path. You want to help other Force sensitive beings reach their potential; you aren’t the savior of the Jedi religion. You are doing your own thing, Rey. Don’t forget that.”

*************************************************************  
The next day, Rey firmly told herself she was _not_ going to visit the Force Tree. To make sure her steps didn’t take her anywhere near it, she rode with Finn and the kids to the Djarins’ house. Both Ben and Shara had been clamoring for a playdate with Ad’ika and Finn had decided to indulge them. 

“You’re gonna spoil them,” Poe said as he helped them load the kids and their paraphernalia into the speeder.

“Like you don’t,” Finn shot back. “And from what I’ve heard from Kes, you were plenty spoiled as a kid yourself.”

“Yeah, and look how I turned out,” Poe said.

“Oh, dear, Finn, he’s right,” Rey said. “We don’t want to risk that.”

Poe pointed at her and made a stern face, but Rey knew he was joking with her. At one time, she’d taken his teasing and bickering as a personal affront, but she’d learned long ago that it was how he showed affection. It had taken her some time to get used to this strange form of communication but now she was almost as fluent in it as Finn was.

Finn let her pilot the speeder, much to the delight of Ben who, like Poe and Rey, loved speed. Shara shook her head in the backseat with Finn. “She drives like Papa,” the little girl said. “Why can’t you drive, Daddy?”

“Because if I don’t let Auntie Rey drive, she’ll pout,” Finn shouted, loud enough for Rey to overhear. 

“Maybe _she’s_ spoiled,” Shara laughed.

“Probably,” Finn agreed. Rey took a moment to shoot him a look but she couldn’t take her eyes off the road for longer than a half a second. Even with her Force enhanced reflexes, the road to the Djarins’ house was twisty and rather dangerous at the speed she was going.

“Faster!” Ben screamed, his hands in the air. 

Rey couldn’t go faster, but she reached out to tousle Ben’s hair. He had inherited Poe’s hair texture, with looser, softer curls than Finn and Shara’s hair. Of course, he hadn’t inherited his Papa’s vanity about his hair (or more likely, it just hadn’t developed yet) and his hair was usually a tangled mess. Poe had combed it neatly before they left, but the wind and Rey’s hand had done a job on it.

They reached the Djarin home and before Rey had even turned off the engine, Ad’ika was running up the walk toward the parking pad. “Ben! Shara! I have some new toys. Come see!” 

Ben clambered out of the speeder, nearly taking a header, but Ad’ika deftly caught him with the Force and helped him get his balance. Rey was impressed by the child’s control of the Force. It came to him almost as easily as breathing, and she knew that with the long years of life ahead of him, he would one day easily outstrip her in power. For now, though, he was just a kid who liked to help others, and she was not worried about him starting down the path to the Dark Side.

Shara waited for Finn to lift her down from the speeder but as soon as her feet hit the ground, she was off and running after the boys. “Be careful!,” Finn called out as they disappeared around the side of the house.

“Din will keep an eye on them,” Mariana Djarin assured him from the doorstep. “He’s out back messing with some gadget or other.” She shrugged. “It could be a jet pack for Ad’ika, or possibly a vacuum cleaner, I’m not sure.”

Finn chuckled. “I’ll see if he needs any help,” he said. “With the kids or the gadget.” He gave Rey a pointed look and headed around the side of the house after the children.

Mariana tilted her head and gave Rey an appraising look. Rey hadn’t spent as much time with her as Finn had, but she liked the older woman very much. “I take it you need to talk about something,” Mariana said. She smiled at Rey’s widened eyes. “I don’t need the Force to see the look Finn gave you. He thinks you need to talk and I agree.” She stepped aside and gestured for Rey to precede her into the house. “Come on in. I’ll make some tea.”

Rey liked the Djarin home almost as much as she liked the Dameron homes. Poe and Finn’s place was always cluttered with toys and clothing (Poe was notorious for never putting anything away, despite Finn’s best efforts to retrain him), and Kes’ house was always full of delicious cooking smells. The Djarin home was tidy, but homey.

Mariana moved a stuffed bantha off the couch and invited Rey to sit down. “Make yourself at home while I fix the tea,” she said. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Rey sat back into the slightly lumpy cushions. The Djarins’ furniture and belongings were well worn but comfortable. It was clear that they didn’t have as many credits as the Damerons, or at least they didn’t spend them as freely. The most impressive item in the room was the perfectly polished beskar pauldron displayed on the wall over the fireplace. Rey knew that somewhere in the house was Din’s Mandalorian helmet, but she hadn’t seen it on display since their move to Yavin IV. 

Mariana returned with a teapot and two cups on a tray, along with a plate of cookies. “I figured we should enjoy some cookies before the kids get a hold of them and they disappear,” she said with a smile. She poured the tea, handed a cup to Rey and then settled back on the other end of the couch. 

“Thank you,” Rey said, taking a moment to inhale the warm scent of the tea. It was a variety from Koora that was said to have relaxing qualities. Just breathing in the steam helped loosen the muscles that Rey hadn’t even known she’d been tensing. 

“So,” Mariana said, after taking a long sip of her own tea. “What’s on your mind?”

Rey thought briefly about denying she needed to talk, but she quickly realized she would not be able to fool Mariana. The woman had raised two human children, was still raising an alien child who would outlive her by centuries, was married to a former Mandalorian warrior, and had enjoyed a career as a college professor before the rise of the First Order had forced the family into hiding. She certainly knew how to identify a lie.

“I’m not really sure how to start,” Rey admitted. She paused to take a sip of her tea. The minty, slightly bitter top note faded into a mellower floral flavor shot through with a hint of sweetness. “As you know, I’ve been here on Yavin a lot longer than I originally planned to be. I’m supposed to be studying the lore of the Jedi, in order to learn how to use my own Force powers properly, and figure out the best way to teach other Force sensitive beings how to use theirs.”

Mariana nodded. “Finn’s mentioned that he was surprised you’d stayed this long,” she said. She offered Rey a cookie from the plate. Rey enjoyed eating almost anything, but she’d developed quite a sweet tooth ever since leaving Jakku. She nibbled around the edge of the cookie before she went on.

“And you know about Ben … Ben Solo, I mean,” Rey said. Mariana nodded again, encouraging her to keep going. Rey sighed. “I’ve been talking to him a lot, especially under the Force Tree on Kes Dameron’s ranch.” She looked down at the cookie in her hands. She’d broken it into pieces and the crumbs were scattered all over her pant legs. “I know I should leave, get back to my plans, but it’s hard.” She looked back up at Mariana. “I can communicate with Force ghosts anywhere, but it’s so much easier under the Force Tree. And they’re so much _realer_ there. I’m … I’m going to miss being able to talk to him whenever I want, being able to reach out and touch him …” She trailed off, feeling embarrassed. “I mean, I can’t really touch him, he’s not solid but the Force is so strong under the Tree that he can sort of _project_ solidity, if that makes sense.”

“Why is he so important to you?” Mariana asked.

Rey shoved a piece of cookie into her mouth so she could take her time answering. Even after she’d finished chewing and swallowing, though, she still didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I thought it was because we’re a dyad in the Force, and that’s part of it, but it’s not all.” She was embarrassed to go on. “I’ve … I’ve been wondering if … I mean … how do you know if … if you’re in love with someone?” Her voice fell to a whisper by the end of the sentence, and her face was hot with shame.

Mariana smiled gently and laid a hand on Rey’s knee. “It’s not simple,” she said, “So don’t feel silly for asking.”

“How … how did you know with your husband?” Rey stammered, then shoved some more cookie into her mouth.

“I knew he meant something to me,” Mariana said, “and I knew I was physically attracted to him, even though I’d never seen his face, or any part of him without a coating of beskar, but I didn’t really know I _loved_ him until the time he came back after a job and he was hurt.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t a very big injury, nothing he couldn’t have taken care of himself, but I was so shaken to see the blood, I might have overreacted a bit. I made him sit down and let me take care of him. It was a hand injury, and when I was done and had bandaged him up, he reached out and tucked my hair back behind my ear. He’d never done that before, and feeling his hand against my face …” She paused, a smile on her face. “I didn’t even think, I just grabbed his hand, turned my head and kissed his wrist. And that’s when I knew.”

“So it was sexual attraction,” Rey said.

“No, not entirely,” Mariana said. “It was the feeling of relief that he was okay, knowing that I wanted him always in my life and that he felt the same.” She leaned back, tilting her head thoughtfully. “I knew we were friends, but after that I knew he meant more to me than just friendship could account for. Like I said, it’s hard to explain, and it’s certainly not simple.”

Rey stared into her tea cup, using her awareness of the Force to nudge the temperature of the beverage slightly higher, back to the optimum drinking range. She took a long sip before she turned back to Mariana.

“Am I crazy to have these feelings for someone who’s not even alive anymore?,” she said quietly.

“Not at all,” Mariana said. “And he’s not like most dead people, after all. You can still see him and talk to him.” 

“I grew up on Jakku,” Rey said. “I was alone almost all the time. There were very few beings I could trust. I had to rely on myself. When I met Finn, and Han, and Poe, and Leia and the rest of the Resistance, I had no idea what friendship meant. In fact, I’m still learning. And as for romance and … and sex ….” She shook her head, unable to articulate any further. “Maybe I’m just not meant for that.”

“Not everyone is,” Mariana admitted. “But if you are, you’ll know. Maybe you’ll never have a lover, or a husband, or a wife. And that’s okay.” She patted Rey’s knee again. “There are entire species that are genderless. Even the gendered ones have an array of different sexual orientations. None of them are wrong or right; they just are. Don’t worry about what label to put on yourself. Just be yourself.”

Rey took a moment to digest that, then nodded. “That makes sense,” she said, “but it still doesn’t solve my problem. I know I need to leave Yavin and get back to work but I don’t know where to go. I’m stuck.”

Mariana nodded wisely. “Oh, I know all about being stuck in your research,” she said with a chuckle. “I always find that when I can’t make any headway, it’s best to switch gears. Research something else, or work on another aspect of the project. Come at the problem sideways, so to speak, and often you’ll discover what you’ve been overlooking.”

Rey ate another cookie while she pondered Mariana’s advice. _Come at the problem from another direction_ … “I think I need to talk to Master Skywalker,” she said. “He was always good at nudging me in the right direction.”

“Luke?” Mariana asked, her eyes lighting up. “Of course, you can still talk to him.” She smiled gently. “I wish I could talk to him again. I didn’t know him long but he was a very wise man.”

Rey suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She’d known Luke only as an old curmudgeon; Mariana had known him as a young man, long before the unpleasantness of Kylo Ren and the First Order. Perhaps in those days he had been wiser.

“Would you like to talk to him again?” Rey found herself saying.

“Of course, but I can’t,” Mariana said.

“Well, not directly,” Rey admitted, “but I’d be more than happy to act as interpreter, so to speak.”

“I’d love to,” Mariana said. And the conversation ended there, as Finn, Din and the kids all burst through the back door and tumbled into the living room, carrying the platter of cookies with them. Din and Finn were laughing about something, while the children were bouncing around, shoving cookies in their faces and zooming toy star fighters around the room.

“So, what do I have to clean up?” Mariana asked, eliciting a sheepish look from her husband and Finn’s sudden interest in the blank wall on the other side of the room. 

Rey sat back to finish her tea, basking in the warmth of a family. It was still a foreign concept to her, but she was beginning to learn how to navigate the currents of family life, courtesy of the Damerons and the rest of her Resistance family. But there was still a tiny part of her that remained cold and empty, even as she laughed and joked and ate with the ones she loved. It was a Ben Solo shaped hole, and although it had grown smaller over time, she wondered if it would ever fully disappear.


	2. Chapter 2

When Poe heard about Rey’s proposal to take Mariana Djarin to the Force Tree for a conversation with Luke Skywalker, he immediately turned it into an excuse for a Dameron/Djarin family barbecue at Kes’s house. 

“It’ll be perfect!,” he said. “The kids can run around and tire themselves out, Dad and I can cook, and Finn and Din can discuss what it’s like to be married to incredibly talented and intelligent people.” Finn smacked at him, but Poe dodged his husband easily. So much for the Force giving Finn an edge. 

“You just want Dad’s famous grilled toobeck,” Finn said. Toobeck was a fish native to Yavin IV that was notoriously difficult to cook properly. Too little heat and it stayed slimy and raw; too much heat and it turned to the consistency of jerky. Done just right, it was flaky and sweet and subtly spicy. Poe had tried — and failed — several times since they’d moved to Yavin but his father had the knack.

“Well, it is toobeck season,” Poe said with a shrug. “I supposed we _could_ ask Dad to cook some.” 

Rey shook her head, but commed Mariana to ask if she and her family could make it.

“That sounds delightful,” Mariana said. “Din’s been wanting to learn more about the Yavinese style of barbecuing, and we’ve yet to have a well-cooked toobeck. Our neighbors had some at a party when we first moved into the neighborhood but it didn’t turn out very well.” She laughed. “Din ate it anyway. Said it was better than some of the rations he’d eaten while out bounty hunting. The neighbors were appalled and they haven’t asked us to anything since.”

In the background, Rey could hear Din say “Hey!,” and Mariana giggled like a young girl. “We’ll be there, and I’ll bring something delicious.”

“Don’t bother,” Rey said. “Between Kes and Poe, there will be more than enough food to feed a small army. Maybe something for the kids to drink? Or that ale that Finn likes so much?”

“Done,” Mariana said. “See you then!”

*******************************  
Kes had a fully equipped kitchen as well as a sturdily built grill and smoker combination made from salvaged ship parts and native Yavinese stone. Poe had gone out early to help his father with the ambitious menu, but there was still plenty to do when Rey and Finn arrived with the kids. The Djarins arrived shortly after, and soon Kes and Din were in deep conversation about the merits of different types of grills and smokers, while Finn wrangled the kids and Poe finished up things in the kitchen.

“Can I help?” Mariana asked, after she’d unloaded the bottles of ale and fizzy fruit juice she’d brought into the conservator to chill.

“Just keep Rey out of the kitchen,” Poe said, pointing at her with a wooden spoon. “The girl loves to eat but she’s hopeless at cooking.” He sniffed. “Remind me to tell you about the time she tried to fix a meal for me and Finn when she was living with us during Ben’s gestation.”

Mariana raised an eyebrow, but Rey gently steered her away from Poe. She still maintained that it was impatience born of her imbalanced hormones that had made her serve the noodles too soon, so that they were still crunchy, and her weird cravings that had led her to think that hot peppers and pickled plums were a good base for a sauce. “Don’t listen to him, he’s a food snob,” she told Mariana. “Come take a walk with me until the food is ready.”

She gave Mariana a quick tour of the yard around the house. She’d come to know and love the ranch during her time on Yavin, and she enjoyed meditating in the vegetable garden, where she could feel the burgeoning life in the soil all around her. She pointed out the treehouse that Kes had been working on when he’d fallen earlier in the year, and the old hangar, now overgrown with jungle vines, that still held the remains of Shara Bey’s old A-wing fighter.

“I guess Poe used to go out there for hours every time he visited,” she told Mariana, “but ever since he and Finn got married, he hasn’t been out there very much.”

“Din’s much the same with his helmet,” Mariana said. “He used to keep in on display and polish it every week, but since we moved here, and he knows we’re safe, he leaves it on the shelf in our bedroom closet. I think he takes it out once a month or so, to clean it and tell Ad’ika the same old stories he’s been telling him for thirty years, but he doesn’t rely on it as much as he used to.”

“Am I the same way with the Force Tree?” Rey wondered aloud. “Am I putting too much importance on a material thing?”

Mariana looked thoughtful. “It’s a bit different, though, isn’t it,” she said after a moment. “The Tree is a living thing, not a hunk of metal. But the underlying principle might be the same. Maybe you should ask Luke about that.”

Just then a loud clanging rang through the air. “Food’s ready!” Rey said with a grin. Nothing cheered her up as well or as quickly as the prospect of a good meal, especially one prepared by Kes Dameron.

************************************  
Rey and Finn were the only ones still eating. Everyone else was on the verge of slipping into a food coma, and there was still enough food left to feed several more people. Even Rey and Finn had progressed to the nibbling stage, “filling up the empty corners,” as Poe called it. 

“You know, Rey,” Poe said as he leaned back in his chair and undid the top button on his waistband, “once you head back out into the galaxy, our grocery bill is going to be cut in half.”

“Ha, ha,” Rey said around a mouthful of custard pie. 

“If she takes Finn with her, you’ll save enough money to buy a brand new X-Wing,” Kes said.

“Hey!” Finn said. “I resemble that remark.” He popped another cheese stuffed pepper into his mouth.

“I’d never do that, Dad,” Poe said complacently. “Finn’s worth more to me than any old X-Wing.”

Kes spluttered through the mouthful of ale he’d just taken. “Have the stars fallen from the sky? Have the trees turned blue? Did Poe Dameron just place something in the galaxy higher than his beloved X-Wing fighter?” He turned wide eyed to the others, while Poe rolled his eyes. “This boy’s first word was X-Wing. He obsessed about them from the time he was old enough to point at things.” He shook his head dramatically.

“Yeah, yeah,” Poe said, “I know. But I’ve matured a lot since then.”

“Since two weeks ago,” Finn muttered. “You were drooling over that X-Wing that Pava flew in on to drop off those Resistance files from Connix.”

Poe laughed. “Well, okay, but I drool over you more.”

Finn grinned. “It’s true. He literally drools … in his sleep.” He dodged a smack from Poe. Rey laughed along with the rest of them, but there was still that tiny part of her that wondered if she was always going to be the outsider, watching from the sidelines.

******************************************************  
The Force Tree glowed softly in the twilight. Mariana had visited it before, but always with a group of others. It had been the setting for Finn and Poe’s wedding, and they’d had an anniversary party under it to celebrate five years of marriage just last year. It felt different now, though, as she approached it accompanied only by Rey. The girl closed her eyes as they came closer, a look of almost beatific joy coming over her face as they stepped under the canopy. The faint blue light that suffused the air surrounding the tree seemed to coalesce around Rey’s body, giving her a slight aura.

“So,” Mariana said after a moment. “How do we do this?”

Rey opened her eyes and smiled. “I just ask Master Skywalker to come talk to us. If he wants to, he’ll come. If he doesn’t, he won’t.” She settled down on the ground near the trunk of the Tree and assumed a meditation pose. “Be with me,” she began to mutter, and the glow around her intensified.

“Master Skywalker, there is a friend here who would like to speak with you,” Rey said after a short while. “An old friend of yours, and a new friend of mine.”

Mariana couldn’t see anything, but the air under the Tree changed subtly and she saw a broad smile break across Rey’s face. “He’s here,” she said. She paused, her head cocked as if she was listening. Then she laughed. “He said he’s busy, so get on with it. But he winked.”

Mariana stood awkwardly. “Um, how do I do this? Just talk to him and you’ll relay his answers?”

“Yes,” Rey said. She paused again and nodded. “He says, ‘It’s good to see you again.’ And he wants to know if your husband is still as stubborn as always.”

Mariana laughed. “Not quite as bad,” she said. “Despite all the odds, I think he actually did learn something from you and your lightsaber training.”

Rey sat up, her eyes wide. “You trained Mr. Djarin in the use of the lightsaber?” She listened attentively. “What happened to the saber?” She nodded again, her face going thoughtful before she shook herself. “I’m sorry, we’re supposed to be here for you, Mariana.”

All through the conversation with Luke, the girl was slightly distracted, and Mariana made a mental note to ask her about it on their way back to the house. For now, though, she caught her old friend Luke up on the past twenty years or so. “I wish I could see you,” she said wistfully. “I envy Rey and Ad’ika that much of their Force powers.”

Rey smiled softly. “He says he wishes you could see him, too, so you’d know how old and decrepit he’s gotten.” She laughed. “He’s joking, of course, because while Master Skywalker may have grown older, he was as strong as ever right up until he …” She stopped to gather herself. “I’m sorry, it’s just hard to believe that you’re … dead.”

“Everyone dies,” Mariana said, laying a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “Even legendary Jedi masters.”

Rey shook her head. “Now he’s laughing,” she said with a chuckle of her own. “He says the only legendary master he knows is Master Yoda. Maybe Ben Kenobi, but certainly not himself.”

“You’re legendary to me,” Mariana said. “Both of you.” 

************************************************************  
As they left the Force Tree, Rey could hardly keep her question from bursting out. Fortunately, Mariana was perceptive and asked her point blank what was bothering her.

“Not so much bothering me as exciting me,” Rey admitted. “Did Master Skywalker really teach your husband how to use a lightsaber?”

“Yes,” Mariana said. “While we were waiting for his sister to get intel on the whereabouts of Moff Gideon, Luke trained Din in how to fight with a lightsaber, since he’d be going up against the Darksaber.”

“Master Skywalker said he made a lightsaber for him,” Rey said. “And when I asked him what happened to it, he said Din returned it to him and he dismantled it.” She could feel a surge of energy go through her body as she blurted out. “He buried the kyber crystal and left it behind. He said it had done its job and it was time for it to wait for its next assignment. I think he wants me to find it.”

“There you go,” Mariana said. “It’s the sign you were waiting for, an impetus to get you moving again on your path.” She stopped and grabbed Rey’s hands. “I’m so happy for you. Florian isn’t the most exciting planet, but it’s not dangerous and I have good memories of that place. It’s a good first step to get you inspired.”

Rey squeezed the older woman’s hands. “Come with me,” she said, purely on impulse. “You’ve been there before, you can help guide me.”

Mariana laughed. “It was thirty years ago and there’s not much to tell. The abandoned hunting camp where Luke was camped out isn’t very large. Din can give you the coordinates and I’m sure it won’t take you long to find the crystal.”

Rey shook her head. For some reason, she wanted Mariana with her. “I think it’s important for you to come with me,” she said, “although I don’t know why.”

“I’ll think about it,” Mariana said. “That’s all I can promise right now.”

“That’s enough for now,” Rey said. She felt invigorated by this new piece of information. Kyber crystals were rare; finding the one for her own lightsaber had involved a three month expedition to a tiny planet in the Outer Rim that had called to her. Finn’s crystal had been slightly easier to find, as it was found in the jumble of broken crystals at an old Jedi temple site they had explored not long after she’d returned from finding her own. While the rest of the crystals had been shattered beyond repair, one perfect, unused crystal had been nestled at the bottom of the pile, and had glowed a soft green when Finn touched it. She wondered what destiny the crystal on Florian had in store.

******************************************************************************  
Din Djarin was practicing with his quarterstaff. Rey hesitated in the doorway, not wanting to intrude on his workout, but uncomfortable watching without his knowledge. “I see you,” Din said without breaking out of the graceful, complicated steps he was putting himself through. “Come on out, just stay back so I have room to work.”

She stepped onto the back porch and settled into a wicker chair that sagged slightly as she sat down. Din was heavier than she was, and quite a few years older, but his technique with the staff was similar to her own. Even without the help of the Force, the man was totally aware of his surroundings, pulling a strike back a few millimeters to avoid hitting a lumbering butterfly that wandered through the backyard. 

Ad’ika appeared on the porch, a tiny version of his father’s staff in his hands. “Dad says I need to practice,” he said quietly, hoisting himself into Rey’s chair and flopping on her lap. “But it’s boring by myself.” He pouted, his tiny green mouth turning down at the corners. “I’m too little to work with Dad.” He looked Rey up and down. “You’re pretty big, too. No one’s my size anymore.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” she said. “They say Master Yoda was one of the greatest Jedi warriors of all time, and he was small like you.”

Ad’ika looked at her skeptically. “But that was when he was grown up. It’s going to be _forever_ before I’m grown up. Cabur and Mirdala are grown up already, and I’m still small. Even their kids are getting big.”

Din joined them on the porch, sitting on the steps and leaning his staff against the railing. “That’s because we’re humans,” he said. “You’re different. Special.” Rey got the feeling father and son had had this same conversation many times over the years.

Ad’ika’s ears drooped. “Yeah, I’m different, and I’m going to live lots longer than you. You’ll be … gone … before I’m all grown up.”

Din held out his hands and Ad’ika leapt gracefully from Rey’s lap into his father’s embrace. “I know, _ad_ ,” Din said, gently stroking the boy’s ears. “But that won’t be for a long time.” He looked up at Rey. “Are you here to talk my wife into running off on a wild goose chase with you?” His words were gruff, but there was a twinkle in his eye that led Rey to believe he was joking with her.

“It’s not a wild goose chase,” she said firmly. “Luke said he buried the crystal, and R2 was there, so he should remember at least approximately where it’s buried.” She leaned forward. “I know you’re worried about Mariana going with me, but it’ll only be a few days. We’ll go to Coruscant to pick up R2, then fly directly to Florian. A day or two there to recover the crystal and we’ll head straight back. I promise she won’t be in any danger.”

“Oh, it’s not danger I’m worried about,” Din said. “I’ll just miss her, that’s all.”

“What, you aren’t looking forward to a few days without me?” Mariana stepped outside, carrying a tray with mugs of steaming chocolate. Ad’ika immediately perked up, his former bad mood forgotten at the prospect of hot chocolate.

“No,” Din said firmly. “You know I always miss you when you leave.” He took a mug and cupped it in his hands. “She used to go off for conferences now and then, when she was teaching,” he told Rey. “Left me with three kids while she was having exotic drinks at resort hotels on fancy planets.”

Mariana shook her head. “Those were academic conferences,” she said. “The drinks were weak and the hotels didn’t have many amenities besides conference rooms and sometimes a swimming pool. And I wouldn’t call Raxa and Fetoo fancy planets.” She took a sip of her chocolate, but grimaced.

Rey checked the temperature of her own mug; it was definitely still too hot to drink comfortably. That hadn’t stopped Ad’ika, who already had a chocolate mustache on his upper lip, but then he was rumored to have eaten live frogs when he was smaller, so he probably had a hardier digestive system than the humans.

“I do think you could do with some father/son bonding time, though,” Mariana said. “Which is why I’ve decided to go with Rey.”

Rey couldn’t help herself. She sat her mug down and leaped to her feet to wrap Mariana in a hug. “Oh, thank you,” she said. “I can’t explain it, but I just feel that I need to have you with me.”

“Jedi mumbo-jumbo,” Din grumbled, but that glint was still in his eye. He was not as friendly as Kes Dameron, but much less curmudgeonly than Luke Skywalker. Rey decided she liked him, very much.

“That may be,” Rey said, “but I feel much better knowing Mariana will be with me.” She sat back down and picked up her mug. The chocolate was cool enough to drink now. She took a long drink, savoring the bitter sweetness on her tongue. “I was thinking we could leave in two days, if that’s alright with you. I have to do a little maintenance on the _Falcon_ , since it’s been sitting for so long.”

Mariana smiled. “That will be fine,” she said. “My, it’s been a very long time since I was on the _Falcon_ ,” Din looked up and locked eyes with her. _Something_ passed between the two, but Rey couldn’t fathom what it was. It was clearly something pleasant, though, judging from the almost bashful smile on Din’s face.

Mariana winked at Rey. “I’ll tell you the story while we fly,” she said, which elicited a strangled squawk from her husband. “Not the _whole_ story,” she conceded. “Just the highlights.” She kicked playfully at Din’s knee and he caught her leg, pulling her off balance. As she fell, he caught her expertly and lowered her into his lap, both of them giggling like teenagers.

“It must be some story,” Rey deadpanned, sipping at her chocolate.

“Oh, it is,” Mariana said, before leaning forward to kiss Din on the lips.

“Yuck,” said Ad’ika. “They kiss a _lot_.” 

“I’ve noticed that,” Rey said. She also noticed that the boy’s mug was empty. “Come on, let’s see if there’s any more chocolate in the kitchen.” She drained her own mug and they left Mariana and Din sitting on the steps, their own cups of chocolate long forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

The _Millenium Falcon_ dropped out of hyperspace and approached the planet Florian. It had been an uneventful journey, except for the surprise appearance of a pair of porgs in the galley. As promised, Mariana had told Rey the story of her previous experience aboard the _Falcon_ and what had ensued after. This had led to a few in depth conversations about boys and feelings and Rey felt a lot more sure of herself after talking things out, although she still found it hard to speak (or even think) about certain things without blushing. 

“I never had a mother,” she confessed the day before they arrived at Florian, while the ship cruised on autopilot and she and Mariana sipped cups of kaf at the holochess table.

Mariana smiled. “I’m already sort of Finn’s honorary mother,” she said, “so I might as well be yours, too.” She gently kicked Rey’s foot under the table. “Anytime you need to talk, wherever you are, I’m here for you.”

Rey ducked her head, embarrassed. “You already have a family …,” she started to say, but Mariana held up her hand to stop her.

“And there’s always room for a few more,” the older woman said. “Besides, Mirdala sure doesn’t need me any more.” She laughed ruefully. She’d told Rey how her fiercely independent daughter had chafed at the family’s self-imposed exile during the years of the First Order. She’d taken off once, coming back a few years later with a baby, and was once again out exploring the galaxy, with her son Ronal in tow.

Rey sipped at her kaf, wondering if this was the reason she’d felt compelled to bring Mariana with her on this venture. It certainly made her feel better knowing she had an older female in her life. Her time with Leia had been all too short, and far too much of that time had been spent dashing about just trying to survive. 

R2-D2 beeped excitedly as Rey guided the _Falcon_ down to land on a bluff overlooking the sea on Florian. The droid was the first one down the ramp after they were safely on the ground. Rey followed it slowly, taking a moment to breathe deeply. It was always good to be planetside after even a short flight. The air on ships was always stale and smelled slightly of dirty socks (or worse, depending on which species were aboard). The wind off the sea was brisk and salty, but without the bite that the wind on Ach-To had. Despite the superficial resemblance, it was a gentler place that the tiny island Master Skywalker had exiled himself to.

“Yes, R2, we’re coming,” Rey assured the droid, which was already trundling across the scrubby ground, heading inland.

Mariana paused at the bottom of the ramp next to Rey and took a deep breath as well. “I forgot how invigorating the air is here,” she said. “Of course, that was thirty some years ago!” She looked around. “Not much has changed. A bit of erosion on the cliffs, maybe. I don’t think the edge was quite that close to those rocks last time.” She pointed to a jumble of large boulders that was a scant few paces from the edge of the clifftop.  
R2 beeped impatiently, its head swiveling back and forth as it scolded the women. Rey laughed. “All right,” she said. “R2 says if we’d stop sightseeing, we could get on with the job.”

Mariana shouldered her bag. “I always meant to take a class in Binary,” she said, striding after the droid. “But since Din doesn’t like droids, it never seemed very important.”

R2 beeped something very rude about Mr. Djarin, which Rey wisely did not repeat. Apparently the droid still held a grudge against the man, who had refused to accept its assistance on his mission against Moff Gideon all those years ago.

They walked across the uneven ground, picking their way through tussocks of grass and heathery bushes. There was no path, but R2 knew where it was going, and soon they came to the edge of a ravine where a path appeared, dipping over the edge and down into what soon widened into a small canyon. 

R2 picked up speed once they were on level ground and soon disappeared behind some trees. As Rey reached the trees herself, she stopped and gasped. Laid out before her were the ruins of a small encampment, larger than a single dwelling but nowhere near large enough to rate the term village or even hamlet. What struck her most was not the dilapidated condition of the stone buildings, or the riot of weeds and saplings that covered the ground, but the feeling of calm and peacefulness that emanated from the area. A stream trickled past, the remains of whatever mighty torrent had carved this canyon in ages past, its water singing merrily as it tumbled over the rocks. A bird sang sweetly as it swayed on the top of a patch of reeds that grew along the bank. Something small and gray and furry darted across the open ground and then peeked out from between the crumbling blocks of stone of the nearest wall. The place was deserted but it was full of life, full of the Force. Rey could feel it in her bones.

“That largest building is where Luke and R2 were camped,” Mariana pointed out. “And over there …” She pointed at a much smaller building on the far side of the encampment. “That’s where Ad’ika and I stayed while Din was gone.” 

Rey looked at Mariana. The older woman was smiling, her gaze unfocused as she remembered the past. “You have good memories of this place,” Rey said. She could feel it. Good things had happened here.

“Yes,” said Mariana wistfully. “This was where I learned that Din and I were married, and where I learned I was pregnant with Cabur. This was where my life began anew.” She had shared some of her life story with Rey during their talks. It had been a rough journey until she met a Mandalorian bounty hunter and his small alien child. And a Jedi knight.

R2 beeped loudly. [Dig here, Friend-Rey! This is where Master-Luke buried the crystal.]

Rey grinned. “R2’s found the spot,” she said. She pulled a small folding shovel out of her bag and went to work. The crystal was not buried deeply, maybe only a foot and half below the surface. As she got closer, Rey abandoned the shovel and dug with her hands, suddenly eager to reach the precious stone. Soon, she had it in her hand, a smoothly faceted piece of smokey white crystal. As she wiped the dust from it, it began to glow softly, a sheer blue light that flickered to green and purple as it woke.

“So that’s what a Kyber crystal looks like,” Mariana said, kneeling down beside Rey. “And that’s what powers a lightsaber?”

Rey nodded. “It acts as a power source and a focus for the Force,” she explained, taking a piece of soft fabric out of her pocket and carefully wrapping up the crystal before tucking it safely away in a pouch sewn to the inside of her bag. “Each one is unique, and the color changes depending on who wields the blade. Usually blue or green, but some are purple or yellow or even white.” She frowned. “The Sith channeled the Dark Side of the Force into their crystals, and their blades turned red as blood.”

“The Darksaber was black,” Mariana said. “Or rather, it was no color at all. No light, like a black hole. It was … unsettling.” She shivered despite the warm sun on their backs. “I was glad when Din gave it to the Armorer. I didn’t like him being the Man’dalore.”

Rey sat back on her heels. “I don’t know how the Darksaber was made,” she said. “Maybe one day I’ll contact the Man’dalore and see if she’ll let me take a look at it.”

Mariana raised an eyebrow. “I’d be careful about that,” she said. “There’s not much love between the Mandalorians and the Jedi, even though Luke helped Din recover the Darksaber for them.”

Rey nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right,” she said. She stood up. She’d accomplished the task she’d come to Florian for, but it felt as though there was still something more she was meant to do here. She looked up at the sun, which was still high in the sky. “We have quite a bit of daylight left. Do you mind giving me a quick tour?”

Mariana stood up as well, a bit slower and more stiffly, but waving off Rey’s offered hand. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just takes a little bit longer to get moving these days. And I was never the most athletic and graceful person anyway.” She laughed. “I’d love to give you a tour. There’s not much to the place, so it shouldn’t take long.”

She showed Rey the interior of the main building, where Luke and R2 had set up their work stations and she’d seen Luke meditating while levitating off the ground. “If I hadn’t been so worried about Din attacking him for being an ‘enemy sorcerer,’ I’d have asked him about it,” Mariana said. She tilted her head. “Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Rey said with a smile. “I’ll demonstrate tonight.”

Next Mariana showed her the tiny, dilapidated hut where she, Din, and Ad’ika had stayed. “It had a roof back then,” she said. “And Luke had brought in some basic furniture from the closest settlement. It wasn’t fancy, but it was snug and …. “ She stopped and wiped at her eyes. “Sorry, I just … I just realized this was our first house.” She laughed through her tears, and Rey tentatively patted her on the shoulder. “You probably think I’m being silly and sentimental,” Mariana said.

“No,” Rey said. “I think … I think this place is special. To you and your family, of course, but there’s also something else …” She couldn’t put her finger on it but it was tantalizingly close.

“It was a Jedi outpost around three hundred years ago,” Mariana said. “Luke was here searching for any books or artifacts left in the caves. You might be sensing whatever drew those Jedi here in the first place. Or maybe their connection to the Force is still resonating.”

Rey nodded. “I’ll check out the caves later. But let’s finish your tour first.”

Mariana led her upstream a few hundred yards to a lovely little meadow. The stream widened out and wound lazily through the grasses. “In the springtime, there are beautiful flowers here,” Mariana said. “Lots of birds and beautiful little lizards.” She laughed. “I had to stop Ad’ika from eating them!”

Rey stepped into the middle of the meadow. Whatever she’d been feeling was even stronger here. “It’s so alive,” she murmured. “I can feel the Force pulsing through everything so strongly.”

“This is where Luke and Din practiced with the lightsabers,” Mariana said. “I remember Din telling me that after one of their sessions, he suddenly saw the meadow in a different light. It felt so vibrant and alive … those were his exact words.”

Rey slowly lowered herself to the ground. “Do you mind if I meditate here for a while? Alone?”

“Of course not,” Mariana said. “I’ll just take R2 back to the _Falcon_ and get some supplies. I think we should spend the night here. So you won’t have to rush your exploration of the caves.”

Rey faintly heard the older woman walk away, but she was already dropping into a meditative state. “Be with me,” she whispered, and she felt herself connecting to the swirl of life that surrounded her. She felt the grasses growing, the worms and microbes and fungal threads that swarmed in the soil beneath her, the droplets of water that made their way from the ground to the tops of the trees, the whirring wings of insects and the flutter of bird wings. A lizard slithered through the leaves. A furry mouse-like mammal snuffled around the tree roots. It was all connected and it went deep, down into the bedrock that lay underground.

She surfaced several hours later, the sun dipping below the rim of the canyon and her stomach complaining about being empty. She followed the scent of something delicious being cooked over an open fire to find Mariana and R2 in the largest building, putting the finishing touches on a cozy little campsite.

“I thought the smell of stew might lure you back,” Mariana said. 

“Is that Kes’ recipe?” Rey asked. It smelled of the Yavinese spice that Kes Dameron used so often it was a signature part of almost every dish he served.

“Sort of,” Mariana said. “He sent some ingredients with me, things he said you particularly like, but I just sort of threw it all together.”

“Well, it smells delicious,” Rey said. She plopped herself down next to the fire. “Is it ready yet?”

Mariana laughed. “Just about. Let me get some bowls and spoons.”

The stew tasted as good as it smelled, and Rey polished off three bowls before R2 made a snide comment. “What? Meditation makes me hungry,” she replied, wiping her bowl clean with a piece of insta-bread.

After they had washed up the dishes, Rey made good on her promise to demonstrate levitation to Mariana. It took a bit more focus than simple mediation but it came more easily to her than it had in the beginning.

“Very impressive,” Mariana said once Rey had settled back to the ground. “But don’t teach Ad’ika how to do that just yet. I think it would freak Din out.”

Rey laughed. Her heart felt so light here. It was more than just being next to a cozy fire with two trusted friends. It was something more. Long after Mariana was snoring quietly in her bedroll, Rey lay awake in the soft darkness of the hut, opening herself to the Force. As she was just about to drift off to sleep, she heard a voice whisper to her, “You’re home.” It took her a moment to realize it was her own voice, and when she did, she smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

When Mariana woke up the next morning, Rey was already up and gone, her bedding neatly folded. It was quiet and the birds were singing, so Mariana indulged in a bit of a lie in, something she didn’t get to do very often. Ad’ika might be over eighty years old, but he was still a little boy and like all small children, he woke up early and was ready for breakfast soon after.

She had dozed off again when Rey returned. “Did I wake you?,” the girl said. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, I should have gotten up a while ago,” Mariana said, stretching her arms over her head. “I’m just being lazy.” 

Rey folded herself gracefully onto the ground. “Do you know who owns this piece of land?,” she asked. “Who I would talk to about getting permission to stay here?”

“Stay here?” Mariana was surprised. 

Rey nodded. “I just … feel like I belong here,” she said, a faint smile on her face. “I went into the caves this morning and there are carvings on the walls. Very ancient, pre-dating the Jedi presence. I think this place has always been special. I want to find out why.”

Mariana sat up and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “Well, I don’t think anyone really owns this area, but we can go to the settlement where Luke got his supplies and ask,” she said. “It’s not far. He got there and back in his X-Wing in just a few hours, and that included purchasing the supplies and whatever else he did. I’m sure R2 has the coordinates, or you can use the sensors on the _Falcon_ to find it.”

“Then let’s go today,” Rey said. “I don’t want to keep you here too long. I know your husband is missing you.” She grinned. “I’ll fix breakfast.”

While Mariana got dressed and washed her face, Rey heated up the leftover stew and prepped some insta-bread, humming as she worked. It was amazing how much happier she seemed here. The girl had a delightful laugh and an infectious smile, but all too often she was the serious one in the group, taking her cues from the others. 

After breakfast, they packed up everything and headed for the _Falcon_. R2 consulted its memory banks and plugged the coordinates for the closest Floriana settlement into the nav computer. “Twenty miles to the northwest,” Rey said. “That’s not too far, and from the orbital scans we took on our approach, it looks like there’s plenty of flat ground where I can land the _Falcon_ just outside the settlement.”

It only took a few minutes to hop from their landing site to the open plains outside the Floriana settlement. R2 beeped directions to Rey once they were out of the ship, and the girl headed confidently into the small town. 

“Any idea who is in charge?” Rey asked as they walked.

“No,” Mariana said. “I never came here. The only local I met was a being named Klev … and the resident nurse droid. They came to the camp with Luke. The Florianas are a genderless species, and Klev wanted to see a female.” She laughed. “I remember they were disappointed that Din had already left because they wanted to observe a mated pair. Luke got a good laugh out of that.”

Rey stopped in her tracks and turned to face Mariana. “Master Skywalker laughed? On purpose?” She looked puzzled.

“Yes,” Mariana said. “Is that surprising?”

Rey thought for a second. “A little,” she said. “I know he wasn’t always an old, embittered man, but it’s hard for me to picture him any other way.” She sighed. “What happened with Ben — I mean Kylo Ren — must have hurt him terribly.”

Mariana laid a hand on Rey’s arm. “The Luke Skywalker I knew joked around with his brother in law, liked to tease, and had a great laugh,” she said. “I wish you could have known that version of him.”

“Me, too,” Rey said simply. Then she turned back toward the settlement and continued to walk.

********************************************  
The Florianas were tall, with intricately braided hair and a faint reddish fur covering their skin, but otherwise a typical humanoid species. Rey found their openness to strangers refreshing; no one had reached for a weapon or ducked inside a doorway when she, R2, and Mariana walked into town. Instead, they were greeted with genuine smiles and the third person they saw had approached them eagerly.

“Can I help you with anything?,” they asked in careful Basic. “I am called Koran. I have lived here my whole lifetime.”

“Thank you, Koran,” Rey said. “I am Rey Skywalker and this is Mariana Djarin.” After an indignant beep, she added, “And R2-D2, of course.”

Koran smiled, showing neat pointed teeth that indicated the species was a least partly carnivorous. “A pleasure to meet you,” they said. “You are human, correct? And if I am not mistaken, of the female gender?”

“Yes,” Rey said. She felt a sudden urge to cross her arms over her chest, to conceal her admittedly not very prominent breasts. She did not consider her gender important; no one had ever treated her differently because she was a girl, except a few men on Jakku who had quickly learned that she was more than capable of defending herself from their unwanted sexual advances.

“And what business do you have with our village?” Koran continued. “We know you are not tourists, because no one comes here unless they have to.” They chuckled, showing even more of their delicately pointed fangs. “All the interesting bits of Florian are on the southern continent. We don’t see many offworlders here.”

“We have a question about the abandoned village of Arvala,” Mariana said.

Koran tilted their head. “I do not know of an Arvala,” they said. “But there is an old hunting camp we call Arrek near the coast.”

“Maybe Arvala was an older name,” Mariana said to Rey. “That’s what Luke called it. I remember, because it’s the same as the name of the planet where Din found Ad’ika. We commented on what a coincidence it was.”

“Kinja might know,” Koran said. “They are an elder and a scholar.”

Koran led them to a small house on the other side of the village. Kinja proved to be a thin, slightly stooped being with a few patches of gray in their dark braids. When Koran explained who they were, Kinja welcomed them into their home.

“Please, sit,” they said. “I can make refreshments if you would like.”

“That’s not necessary,” Rey said as she and Mariana settled onto a pair of woven cane chairs. Kinja reclined on a low wooden couch covered in cushions. 

“Forgive an old being for claiming the most comfortable seat,” Kinja said. “What is it you wish to know about Arrek?”

Rey sat forward, suddenly feeling very nervous. “I’d love to know anything you can tell me about its history,” she said, “but most importantly, I’d like to know who owns it.”

Kinja laughed. “No one owns Arrek,” they said. “Very little land is owned on this continent. We have never gone in for that sort of thing. Life has always been harsher here than on the southern continent, so we have practiced a more communal way of life.”

Rey felt a surge of excitement. “So … if I wanted to stay there for a while, it would be all right?”

Kinja tilted their head. “Yes, although I do not see why anyone would want to. It is so far away from others. Even the hunters who used it as a base camp traveled in groups and only stayed there for a few days at a time.” They paused for a long moment. “There was one human, many years ago.”

“Yes,” Mariana said. “Luke Skywalker. He was searching for books and other artifacts left from the ancient Jedi settlement.”

Kinja’s eyes lit up. “Ah, yes,” they said, leaping to their feet. They hurried from the room and returned a few minutes later with a large wooden bound volume. “Jedi … Jedi …” They paged quickly through the book until they found the page they were looking for. “Here it is. ‘The hunting camp of Arrek lies on the ruins of the ancient settlement of Arvala. This village was built by a group of Jedi, an off world religious order dedicated to the understanding of the Force and the training of those gifted in the manipulation of the Force.’ You say this Skywalker was studying these Jedi?”

“Yes,” Mariana said. “He was a Jedi himself, trying to recover some of the teachings that had been lost when the Empire destroyed the Jedi order.”

“And I am continuing his work,” Rey said. “He was my master, if only briefly.”

Kinja nodded. “Then it is clear that you have as much claim to use that site as anyone else on the planet,” they said. “The village was built by Jedi and it has not been used as a hunting camp for centuries.” They paged through the book a bit more. “There is no record of any settlement there before the Jedi, although perhaps our primitive ancestors lived in the caves at one time.” They shrugged. “I see no reason why you should not stay there as long as you like.”

Rey felt a flood of relief at Kinja’s words. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to stay in Arvala (or Arrek, or whatever it was called) until this moment. Then she paused a moment to think about what moving to Floriana meant. “I … I might be there for some time,” she said. “I not only want to learn about the Jedi, I want to help other Force-sensitive beings learn how to use their abilities, and help them avoid going down the wrong path.” She looked up at Kinja. “There may be more of us as time goes on.”

The Floriana nodded solemnly. “Then you will be a new trading partner for our village,” they said. “And maybe your offworlders will have visitors … we might finally get some tourists after all!” They laughed. “The southern continent may have the Baths of Lingor and the Great Canyon of the Rekkan River but _we_ will have a Jedi settlement.”

“I’m not sure I’d call it that,” Rey said with a laugh. “Maybe a school? A … retreat?” She shook her head. “I’m not even sure I’ll use the term Jedi anymore. Honestly, I’m making this all up as I go. So much was lost during the time of the Empire and the First Order.”

Kinja nodded again. “We were, for the most part, safely out of the chaos here,” they said, “but we are well aware of what went on in the rest of the galaxy. It would be nice to help restore a little bit of light and culture to the galaxy, even in a small way.”

There was a pause in the conversation as they all pondered Kinja’s words. Then Mariana cleared her throat. “When I was here before,” she said, “about thirty years ago, I met a being named Klev. Are they still living here?”

Kinja dipped their head. “Klev departed the living about seven years ago,” they said. “I admired Klev. They were in the same generational group as my sibling Klemar. Klev was always curious about new things, so I am not surprised you met them. They did have an offspring, but that one left to study on the southern continent after Klev’s death and they have not returned. They are called Kovan; they are from the same generational group as Koran, who brought you here.”

While Mariana and Kinja chatted about Klev and the Floriana tried to explain the intricacies of their species reproduction, Rey let her mind wander. Already she had plans to repair the buildings at Arrek (she felt it only right to use the local name for the place) and to plant the Force Tree sapling Poe had given her on her first visit to Yavin IV. She saw it growing tall and strong among the native trees, and she heard the voices of younglings laughing as they darted among the stone buildings. She saw a flame lit meditation area deep in one of the caves, the walls painted with ancient and arcane symbols. She saw books and scrolls filling the shelves of the communal hall, and heard stories of many worlds told around the fire pit as young and old alike sipped warm drinks while the wind and rain raged outside. And she saw herself, standing under the Tree, with Ben beside her, watching a pair of mismatched beings spar with lightsabers: one a hulking Wookiee, the other a diminutive Ughnaught. 

She shook herself from her reverie when Mariana touched her leg. “Are you okay?,” the older woman asked.

“I’m absolutely fine,” Rey said with a smile.

******************************************  
Koran accompanied them back to Arrek. “Kovan will be interested to hear of this place, where their parent once came,” they explained. “And I would like to see what kind of help you will need to restore the area. We have several skilled stone workers who would be willing to assist you.”

Rey spent the rest of the day sketching out her plans for the village, while Koran took copious notes on a data pad. As the sun began to lower in the sky, she stopped. “We should be going,” she said reluctantly. “I’m sure Mariana’s husband is missing her and I said we’d only be gone a few days. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Koran nodded. “I will bring a few workers out to begin preparations. And I can tend to your young tree until you return.”

One of the first things Rey had done upon their arrival at Arrek was to plant the Force Tree sapling. It had stubbornly survived for years in a pot on the _Falcon_ but as soon as she placed its roots in the soil of Florian, she felt a surge of what she could only describe as happiness. It was as if the little tree wiggled its toes into the ground and stretched its limbs toward the sun with a sigh on contentment. Mariana had helped her pick just the right spot, on the edge of the little meadow. The Tree would not overshadow the open area in years to come, but was close enough to the stream that it should not need much supplemental watering once it was established. From what Rey sensed, that wouldn’t take long.

“We can stay a bit longer if you like,” Mariana said gently.

“No,” Rey said, shaking her head. “You need to get back to your family. And I need to say goodbye to mine.” The only sad part about all of this was that she would have to leave Finn and Poe and Kes and the children behind. She’d known that life on Yavin IV was not her path, but being with family, being _part_ of a family had been so tempting.

“Let’s go,” she said, giving one last look around Arrek. “I’ll be back soon enough.”

********************************  
As she predicted, Finn was stoically accepting of her decision. Poe, on the other hand, was not. 

“So you’re just going to go off and live in an abandoned village twenty miles from the nearest settlement on some backwater planet all by yourself?,” he half-yelled as he paced the living room, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

“Yes,” she said simply. “And I won’t be by myself. Koran and the others will be helping me restore the buildings, and I’ll have the _Falcon_ so twenty miles is nothing. Plus I’ll have R2 with me.” 

“She’ll be okay,” Finn said. 

“Oh, I know she’ll be okay,” Poe admitted. “She’s probably the most capable one of all of us. She killed the freaking evil Emperor for Force’s sake.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m just … I’m going to miss her.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” Rey said, touched beyond words by Poe’s confession. They teased each other constantly and had always been rivals for Finn’s attention, but he truly cared for her. “I’ll miss both of my stupid brothers,” she went on. “And my adorable niece and nephew. And Kes’s cooking!”

Poe laughed. “You’re going to miss Dad’s kitchen most of all, admit it,” he said.

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Finn put an arm around each of them and pulled them into an embrace. “We’ll all miss you, Rey,” he said, “but you have to follow your path and we have to follow ours. And we’ll come visit. And you’ll come back when you get hungry enough.” He laughed that whole-hearted laugh that always made Rey smile. Finn had seen some terrible things in his life, but he could still enjoy life to the fullest, because he had a heart full of love.

Rey made her goodbyes to Din and Ad’ika, then made her way out to Kes’ ranch. He’d promised her a final meal with all her favorite dishes. When she arrived, Poe was helping his father in the kitchen while Finn and the kids were setting and decorating the table, which had been set up in the garden. A string of fairy lights hung from the boughs of the treehouse tree, which Shara proudly announced was her idea.

When the meal was finished, Rey whispered in Finn’s ear. “I’ll be back in a bit. I just need to say goodbye to someone else.” He nodded and kissed her cheek.

She made her way slowly down the path to the Force Tree. It shimmered in the darkness and the leaves seemed to reach out for her as she approached. Before she reached the trunk, Ben appeared, leaning nonchalantly against nothing. She hated when he did that.

“So, you’re finally leaving Yavin,” he said.

“Yes,” she said simply. “I think Arrek is where I’m meant to be, at least for now.” She reached out and took his hand, which was there and not-there, as usual. “I planted the sapling there. It’s still very small but I think it will grow quickly. I saw … I saw it standing tall and strong, and you and I were under it, watching two of my students spar. I had a little bit of gray in my hair, but I didn’t look too old … it might be some time before the Tree is strong enough to allow us this much physical contact, but I know you’ll be there.”

“I’ll always be here for you,” Ben said. “But don’t wait for me. If you need more than I can give you … don’t feel guilty.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever want that, but I know you can’t give that to me.” She sighed. “I had some good talks with Mariana. For now, it’s enough for me to have friends and family … I might want more in the future but it’s not like I want to have children.” She laughed. “Carrying Ben for the Damerons cured me of that. And I’ll have students eventually. That’s all the legacy I need.”

Ben wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace, wishing she could feel his warmth as well as his energy. “Whatever you want, I’ll do everything I can to help you get it,” he said softly. “I fought against you, against the Light, against my own family, for too long. I will be your staunchest ally, Rey Skywalker, in everything you do. Even if it means I have to watch you fall in love with someone else, above all else, I want you to be happy.”

“I _am_ happy,” she said. “I will always be happy, knowing you are by my side, one way or another.” They stood quietly, bathed in the gentle blue light of the Force Tree, knowing it would be some time before they could be this close again. 

“May the Force be with you,” Ben said as she prepared to leave. He kissed her forehead, his lips cold and lifeless against her skin.

“Always,” Rey said. Then she turned and faced her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize while looking back at previous stories that I had inadvertently named the village where Din and Mariana met Luke after the planet where Din found The Child (and home of Kuiil). I hope I corrected my blunder in a believable way :)
> 
> I wrote this story to resolve some of the loose threads of Rey’s story that were left dangling in my previous stories. I did not expect her to end up back on Florian and it was a pleasant surprise to bring my two series full circle and tie them together.


End file.
